In China, people were ashamed to discuss sexuality.

Men could be promiscuous, but women weren’t allowed to have certain desires – women with such needs were viewed as improper. The different physiological makeup between men and women also meant that men could easily find pleasure in such matters. As for women, whether they could experience joy depended on luck. What a woman needed wasn’t multiple partners, but rather one man who would be considerate and willing to guide her to the peak of pleasure.

Liu Fen thought that being married before, with a daughter in university, made her a mature woman who knew everything. But her “wedding night” with Tang Hongen felt like a true first wedding night – she discovered she knew nothing at all… No, everything she knew before had been wrong, and what Tang Hongen taught her last night was correct.

When they woke up in the morning, Tang Hongen seriously told her: “Ah-Fen, excellent students don’t rely on talent, but on diligent practice and study.”

What nonsense about “diligent practice”!

Liu Fen felt like she didn’t even recognize these words anymore. She didn’t recognize Tang Hongen either! Although they were now legally married, having both the title and reality of husband and wife, her previous understanding of Tang Hongen had been superficial.

Men, who appeared refined and gentlemanly in public, would only show their rougher side to their women. If he remained a gentleman even in bed, that would cause Liu Fen to cry.

However, Liu Fen didn’t quite understand this yet. She just wanted to avoid Tang Hongen’s continued teasing, so she quickly changed the subject: “You said you have a few days off, should we return to Beijing?”

Having legally married, Liu Fen couldn’t avoid bringing Tang Hongen to live in their Shichahai house forever. Xia Xiaolan had to attend school and couldn’t accompany her back to Yunan for the marriage registration. Liu Fen felt they should return immediately to see her daughter. Although Xia Xiaolan would still call him Uncle Tang, Tang Hongen had effectively become family to both mother and daughter.

Knowing Liu Fen was easily embarrassed, Tang Hongen stopped teasing her. “Today is Friday, Xiaolan should be heading to Pengcheng. Let’s call her first and ask her to postpone this week’s trip. The Jinsha Pool properties have all been sold, and the money she earned won’t grow legs and run away. Let her wait for us in Beijing.”

Returning to Beijing wasn’t a bad idea. Now that everything was official, he should properly meet mother and daughter to prevent any misunderstandings.

Liu Fen didn’t have any particular attachment to Shangdu either. Even Li Fengmei had gone to Pengcheng to join Liu Yong, and while the “Blue Phoenix” at Erqi Square was still operating, it was being managed by Li Fengmei’s sister-in-law.

As for Liu Zitao, he would transfer to Pengcheng after finishing this semester. However, since the child was in school, it seemed awkward for Liu Fen to specifically take Tang Hongen to see him. Should she go introduce him as “your new uncle”?

“Mom called and said to wait for them in Beijing?”

Xia Xiaolan had indeed booked a flight to Pengcheng, but when she returned home to pack, Grandmother Yu told her that Liu Fen and Tang Hongen planned to return to Beijing that day.

Grandmother Yu chuckled, “They just got their marriage certificate, they’re still in the honeymoon phase, wanting to bring him back to Beijing to meet everyone.”

Xia Xiaolan nodded, “Alright, I’ll let the Pengcheng side know and give them some instructions, but I won’t go over.”

The money wouldn’t grow legs and run away. Xiaolan was going there to wrap up matters with the Luo family. Since she couldn’t go now, she would have Ge Jian handle it.

“Should I drive to the airport to pick them up, and we can all go out to celebrate tonight?”

Xia Xiaolan always included Grandmother Yu as family. Although Grandmother Yu constantly thought about finding her son, her living habits had become increasingly in sync with Liu Fen and her daughter, and she had no objection to being considered family.

“What’s there to eat out for? Wouldn’t it be nice to have hotpot at home in this cold weather?”

She had a point – the house had floor heating, and nobody wanted to go out in the dead of winter.

“That works too. I’ll have someone deliver some lamb. Do we have other ingredients at home?”

Lamb hotpot was simple, especially with the meat being delivered pre-sliced. Grandmother Yu remembered they had potatoes and Chinese cabbage in the kitchen, and with some glass noodles and kelp soaking, it would be enough. She told Xiaolan not to buy more vegetables. This was typical winter eating in Beijing – even wealthy families ate like this in late December.

Without air freight or cold chain logistics, southern green vegetables couldn’t reach the north in winter.

Greenhouse vegetables hadn’t been widely promoted yet, so in winter, Beijing residents rarely saw green vegetables on their tables.

If they wanted something fresh, they could sprout bean sprouts at home or grow some green garlic shoots… More vegetables? There weren’t any – even though Xia Xiaolan now had millions in assets, while she could buy several courtyard houses, she couldn’t find common leafy greens in the market!

Miss Millionaire Xia felt a bit melancholic.

Should she develop greenhouse farming with peasants in suburban Beijing just for better food?

Grandmother Yu had never eaten greenhouse vegetables, but in the past, the Yu family’s table never lacked vegetables in winter.

“Growing vegetables in heated pits, keeping the fire going all winter, produced tender, juicy Chinese cabbage and spinach…”

Well, faced with the former young lady of the legendary Yu family, Xia Xiaolan admitted that poverty had limited her imagination, and even as a millionaire, she had to concede this point.

When Xia Xiaolan drove to the airport, the flight from Shangdu hadn’t arrived yet, but she saw Ji Jiangyuan and Ji Ya – it was Friday, and Ji Jiangyuan was supposed to go to Pengcheng anyway, so they often ran into each other. She hadn’t expected to see Ji Ya though.

Madam Ji Ya looked somewhat dispirited.

Was Elegance’s business doing that badly?

Though it was hard to say – everything’s difficult at the start, and the startup phase always had various problems. Some people could endure it, while others struggled to bear the double pressure of financial and mental stress!

Xia Xiaolan nodded to Ji Jiangyuan, who returned her smile.

The last time they met at the airport, Ji Ya had been triumphant, having just poached Wang Mingming, leaving Luna’s advertising shoot in disarray.

In just a short month, Luna’s advertisement had become a huge hit, and Jinsha Pool had sold tremendously… These events had deeply wounded Ji Ya. Elegance’s development problems required more capital investment, and Ji Ya turned her head away – she didn’t want to see Xia Xiaolan at this moment!

Ji Ya didn’t know that another shock that would drive her crazy was about to arrive.

The flight from Shangdu to Beijing had slowly landed.

The flight to Yangcheng hadn’t started boarding yet.

Xia Xiaolan waited expectantly, and soon two familiar figures appeared – Tang Hongen carrying a suitcase in one hand while holding Liu Fen’s hand with the other.

He hadn’t expected to see his ex-wife Ji Ya and son Ji Jiangyuan besides Xia Xiaolan.

Ji Ya stared at their tightly clasped hands.

Something felt off to her.

Although this wasn’t the first time Tang Hongen had held Liu Fen’s hand in front of her, never before had his whole demeanor been so radiant.

Under what circumstances would a middle-aged man be so radiant?

A sudden career advancement?

No, impossible – if Tang Hongen had been promoted, she would have heard about it.

Then it must be the second possibility, because of a woman… Ji Ya glanced at Liu Fen, who was also glowing with happiness. So that was it!

Hmph, and here she thought Liu Fen was some paragon of virtue.

She was no different from anyone else.